Hair and beauty salons wait-list clients as they prepare to open Monday

Personal care businesses will reopen Monday after six weeks under lockdown as Croatia enters the second week of easing coronavirus restrictions.

Many salons say they are fully booked for the next two weeks. However, they will not be operating at full capacity due to some of the social distancing and hygiene measures they will be required to practice. Staff and clients will be required to wear masks.

Antonija Tretinjak from the Delux beauty salon says clients will be asked to sanitize their hands upon entering and asked if they do not have a mask, one will be provided for them. Salons are required to screen clients when they make an appointment, asking whether they have travelled outside the country within the last two weeks, if they have been in contact with a person infected with the coronavirus, and if they have a fever or other respiratory symptoms, Tretinjak said. She also said that because social distancing rules restrict the number of clients who can be serviced at any one time, reducing revenues, salons may have to raise prices to stay afloat.

Some hair salons have invested in single-use gloves, masks, towels and gowns, says Lidija Štokić, a hair stylist at Hairvetica. 

Many salons have extended their hours and divided workers into teams in addition to installing plexiglass dividers. The run on hair salons has prompted some women to seek appointments with barbers, says Igor Totić of the Barbershop.

All services at personal care establishments are by appointment only.